How Media Technology Alleviates Loneliness:
the findings of The Big Connect
Loneliness is a hugesocial problem in our society. It causes reduced confidence, low mood and loss of interest in life, and can be a major contributing factor to depression.Recent studies have shown that it can be as deadly as smoking cigarettes and worse for the health than obesity.
Loneliness and social isolation can affect anyone – regardless of their age, their finances or even their relationship status. In fact, a poll conducted by the BBC in 2013 found that 52% of adults in London suffer from loneliness, while the Campaign to End Loneliness reported that 800,000 people in the UK are chronically lonely.
For people who are isolated, access to media technology like radios, televisions and computers can provide a life-changing connection to the outside world.And while many of us take these items for granted, thousands of people around the country simply do not have access to them. That’s where WaveLength comes in. We give radios, TVs, tablet computers and other media technology equipment to people living in poverty who are elderly, disabled or refugees; those with chronic physical or mental illnesses, crippling addictions or troubles with homelessness and those building new lives after domestic abuseor childhoods in care.
From the thank-you letterswe receive we have always believed that WaveLength’sequipment has enormous benefits for our beneficiaries, but unfortunately public perception towards technology has shifted in recent years. Many people are concerned about The Big Disconnect; the idea that social media is actually making us more antisocial and less engaged with the people around us. That rather than connecting us to others, media technology is making us more socially isolated and more unhappy.
We were concerned by these claims, so last summer we asked researcher Annie Irvine from the University of York to conduct a series of interviews with our beneficiaries from across the country. We wanted to know how the radios, TVs and tablet computers that we gave them had impacted upon their lives; the pros, the cons, and the changes that they believed were caused by their new technology.
The peopleAnnie interviewed werelonely and isolatedfor a variety of reasons: they foundit hard tophysically get out of the house; they’drelocated from other areas; they wereseparatedfrom their families,communities or culture; they found it hard to interact with others; they’dleftdamaging relationshipsor lifestylesbehind.
Anniefound three main ways in whichWaveLength’sradios, TVs and tablet computers can help:
1 -Alleviating loneliness andothernegative emotions
“All my life I’m used to working with people, working around people. Because of this sudden change due to my illness, everywhere is quiet.”
Media technology can be a comforting friendly face or voice for people who spend a lot of time alone– especially those who’verecently been bereaved, or plunged into isolation through illness or disability.Unlike social isolation, loneliness is a subjective condition: you’re only as lonely as you feel. This is why artificial or surrogate companionship can alleviate feelings of loneliness by itself.
“Although I do watch TV by myself, it keeps your mind occupied, so you don’t feel lonely.”
Music, in particular, can make people feel less lonely by triggering emotional memories.One beneficiary said,“Days when you just don’t feel motivated to do anything or it’s dreary, it’s miserable, cold, and then you hear certain tunes – especially if you hear tunes that make you remember positive things –yeah, it’s good.”
Distraction was another important feature of media technology, with beneficiaries using TV or radio programmes to distract themselves from drug or alcohol cravings, or simply from their loneliness. People with a lot of trauma in their lives also find it useful to have an easy distraction.
“When there’s more time to reflect or just go into your feelings, then he was drinking more. Now that he’s got the TV, he’s drinking less; he’s more positive about his life.”
2 -Facilitating social connections
Living on a very low income can make it very difficult to sustain friendships – our beneficiaries often don’t have the spare cash to get a coffee or a drink with a friend, let alonepay for a mobile phone to stay in touch or arrange a catch-up. Email and social media are invaluable as free forms of communication.
Andbecause TV, radio and internet are so ubiquitous, lack of access to them can often hurt people’s chances of forming and sustaining socialrelationships.One young beneficiary said,“I can talk about things... I’m back in the world, because I know what’s going on in the world.”
New connections are also forged through media technology.One woman who cares for her disabled motherattendeda local carers’ groupshe’d heard abouton the radio, while others found out about local subsidised eventsorgot involved in causes they’d found out about using their tablets.
Women’s refuges in particular really emphasised the power of media technology to bring people together. Usually these women are extremely traumatised and have often been forbidden to talk to others outside the home, or to make their own small choices like what to watch on TV.
“For some women that haven’t been allowed to watch the telly, just to sit with other women and chat, it’s a massive, massive thing when they come in here, just that they can do that.”
A communal TV often became the social hub of a refuge, offering low-pressure companionship withother residents.It also inspired a sense of community within the shelters, with residents spending time together and arranging activities together outside of home.
“Before it was just an empty room. Now it’s got a telly in it, they’re coming down and doing more social things and it’s adding other stuff. Now they’re doing more communal things since we’ve had the telly.”
3 -Broader impacts
“It just makes them feel like there is hope… they can overcome the mental health challenges, and do something meaningful with their lives.”
Tablet computers had many practical uses, including applying for jobs or housing, sending emails etc. But TV and radio were also practically useful.
One young beneficiary was even inspired by cookery shows to find an apprenticeship in a restaurant.She said,“It sounds weird; you don’t think on TV you see jobs advertised. But you do. Because it makes you realise what kind of jobs youwant todo. Yousee an advert and you’re like ‘Oh yeah, I could do that.’”
Many beneficiaries are empowered by their new access to information. Some looked up recipes to hold a baking night, some watched instructional videos on sewing or yoga. Others found out more about practical support, or researched issues like mental health and found out that other people had got through the same difficult situations as them.
Surprisingly, many beneficiaries mentioned theJeremy Kyle Showas very useful, and almost inspiring. One staff member explained,“They think their life’s Jeremy Kyle really! They’vegone through a hard time and you watch it on telly, someone else has gone through a hard time, it makes it feel better, doesn’t it. It makes you think ‘oh look - I’ve got through this, they’ve got through that, you can get through life.’”
WaveLength’sequipmentwas also useful for non-native Englishspeakerstrying to improve their language skills, for educational programmes for pre-school children, and for exploring social skills.One beneficiary said,“Sometimes I actually talk to the TV so that I can learn to converse with people properly.”
The negatives
While it’s great to hear all of the benefits of our work, we also wanted to know if our beneficiaries had suffered any negatives since receiving our equipment. Annie asked each interviewee if there were any detrimental effects to using their media technology.
While the majority of respondents couldn’t think of anything negative to say about their equipment, a few did mention the importance of using it in moderation. A couple of people mentioned that they had used them excessively when they first received them and had had to take responsibility for their use to overcome this.
“I just got sort of mesmerised... there was a degree of novelty, so I was a bit like a small child getting a keyboard for Christmas.”
Some participants also mentioned the potential risks that social media could bring to vulnerable people, and the importance of its safe use. One beneficiary who had overcome problems with substance abuse said that social media could ‘trigger you, like if you see your friends going out drinking, stuff like that, and you’re thinking oh God. So I think I’d rather not know, do you know what I mean, I’d rather just not know.
In summary
By providing inspiration, motivation and a window into the world, media technology has the power to drive important changes in people’s lives. Although it’s hard to recognise cause and effect when it comes to new technology, most beneficiaries believe thatWaveLength’sequipment has a huge impact beyond simple entertainment.
One staff member simply said,“I’ve known the refuge prior to having tellies and since we’ve got them, and I have noticed more positive outcomes for the women.”
We’re talking with the University of York and the University of Sheffield about conducting further studies at the moment to further explore the difference media technology has on people’s lives by providing comfort, contact and companionship.